Plot: What’s it about?
As the United States begins to bear the burden of heavy losses, both manpower and resources, it seems as though the Germans have taken the upper hand in World War II. But the government has a plan to help bolster the forces, which includes mixing in black pilots with the Air Force, which is not taken well by most of those involved. So there is a lot of harassment and trouble as Hannibal Lee (Laurence Fishburne) and others begin to train to become fighter pilots. But even as they train, battles have to be fought in the political and social realm, so that the path can be plowed for them to be able to serve their country. After the men endure the intense training process, as well as the abuse from some of their white peers, it seems as though the Tuskegee Airmen will finally have their chance to take to the skies and fight on behalf of the United States.
These made for cable flicks can be a real crap shoot, but usually, the ones made by HBO tend to be a cut above the rest. This one has some real problems at times, but thanks to the strength of the cast, it manages to turn out well enough. I found the writing and direction here to be average to best, but with such names as Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding, Jr., John Lithgow, and Andre Braugher on board, you know the acting will elevate the material somewhat. I was pleased with all the performances, but in the end, even their skills couldn’t push this film to be better than average. I suppose some of the issues can be blamed on lack of resources, but I feel the writing needed an overhaul and a more skilled director should have been hired, as the those factors could have improved this one by a million times. In the end, this is a decent movie and one that is worth a look, but it should have been much better.
As I said, this movie has a terrific cast and it starts off with Laurence Fishburne, a very talented performer. Even back in his days as “Cowboy” Curtis on Pee Wee’s Playhouse and back, Fishburne has shown potential and as he all know, he has lived up to that and then some, with a resume filled with impressive turns. In this film, he shows his range extends well into the dramatic realm, although we already knew that, so this just added another star to his chart of solid work. I think Fishburne was the perfect choice for this role, as he seems to be very relaxed within it, which is always a good sign to me. Other films with Fishburne include Higher Learning, Boyz N The Hood, The Matrix, Cherry 2000, Event Horizon, and Searching For Bobby Fischer. The rest of the cast here includes Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Tyson, Drop Zone), John Lithgow (Silent Fall, A Civil Action), Andre Braugher (Get On The Bus, It’s The Rage), Allen Payne (Jason’s Lyric, The Perfect Storm), and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Jerry Maguire, Men of Honor).
Video: How does it look?
The Tuskegee Airmen is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This looks as good as you can expect from a made for cable flick, which means this isn’t as refined as a feature film transfer, but it still looks terrific. The print used is clean and shows minimal flaws, while the image is sharp and without evidence of compression problems. The colors here seem normal most of the time, with natural flesh tones and no signs of bleeds in the least. I have no complaints with contrast either, as black levels are dead on and detail looks solid, which is all that counts here. I am very pleased to see this release given the anamorphic treatment, let’s hope HBO keeps up this level of work.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included 2.0 surround track is good, but is limited at times, since it is not a full surround track. But those scenes are few and far between, as this option is usually full and offers a pleasant experience. The music is well presented here, very rich and clear at all times, while the sound effects are also distinct and well mixed. The focus here is dialogue, which is well replicated and very crisp, with no real problems to report. This is a little conservative in comparison to some mixes, but it sounds as good as it did on television, which is all you can ask for here. This disc also houses tracks in Spanish (mono) and French (stereo), as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, but no other bonus features.
